Welcome to the beginning of May, which is known for being the beginning of Tax Freedom Day, where all of your income from January through the first week in May is technically taken in one way or another from the people to supply government spending. President Obama stated when elected he would not going to sign any bill filled with pork (Payoffs) . Yet, even with a Democrat controlled congress, he has approved more than 14,000 of wasted government spending amendments with no fiscal accountability. Then President Obama promised that 95% of American would get a tax cut; but this has been a lie as everyone has had their taxes increased. (See http://www.colony14.net/id52.html )

Congress has wasted our tax dollars for their own luxury. Democrat Nancy Pelosi wasn’t happy with the USAF C-20B jet she had as House Speaker so she ordered a Big Fat, 200-seat, USAF C-32, Boeing 757 jet, even though former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, flew commercial most of the time. The fuel cost alone of Pelosi’s jet is $60,000. one way from Washington D.C. to San Francisco. Which mean “we the people” paid $480,000 per month and $5,760,000 annually just on her fuel cost alone!!! So much for being concern about global warming. This does not include over $100,000 used by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for “in flight services” of food and liquor or 2.1 million paid annually for military escorts. (See http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=123472 ) Just to remove Pelosi as House Speaker and take away her taxpayer’s funded jet would be reason in itself not to vote for any Democrat. Yet, congress wants us to trust them and believe they know how to spend our tax money. Congress wasted $6 million in stimulus money to a California contractor under federal investigation for overcharging San Diego for cleanup after the 2007 wildfires. A Denver developer received $13 million in tax credits to help build a senior housing complex despite being sued as a slumlord for running decrepit, rodent-infested apartment buildings in San Francisco and Kentucky gave $24 million to a contractor on trial on for bribery. This is just some of the wasted money given out. (See: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2444651/posts )

Our government should be audited. Spending is out of control and by the end of this year, our national debt will be 13 trillion dollars. According to http://www.usdebtclock.org/ ,our national debt is already over 12.5 trillion. Our government needs to cut spending. The Obama administration is playing a shell game on the American people. They raised governmental spending an astounding 24% in 2009 and then freezes $15 billion in discretionary spending in 2010 to pretend to be fiscally conservative for their political survival after they had ballooned the deficit to $1.3 trillion in 2009 under his administration. The 24% increase is still there. This is the same as a family that makes $50,000. a year living on a budget of $62,000 a year and going into debt $12,000 each year without cutting expenses. Except our government is still spending trillions beyond its means. Families have to live within budgets and so should our government without burdening the people with taxes, fees, tolls, and fines or what ever else the federal, state, county and local governments can think to take money from the people to take money from the people in order to continue to spend wastefully. Unfortunately, “we the people” have blindly elected our representative that have laid a large tax burden on ourselves while bankrupting programs such as Social Security that is suppose to be there for the American people. (See http://www.mantecabulletin.com/news/article/3909/ ) These same policies caused the 2008 financial crisis. (See http://blog.upholdtraditionalvalues.com/2009/02/12/who-caused-this-economic-crisis–by-frank-aquila.aspx ) and are the same policies that will create the perfect economic storm for the future of America. ( See http://www.halfwaytoconcord.com/democrats-create-perfect-economic-storm/ )

Each year I provide a list of the numerous ways the government takes money from the people and ask people to let me know of any that I have missed to get an idea of how much our government wastes and how much we are taxed in America. Each year the list grows as government thinks of new ways to tax the people.

Yet, the Democrats have attempted to impose even more new taxes such as a Ticket tax on movies and concerts. iTunes Tax on music, Tractor Tax, Fertilizer Tax, Carbon Tax, Sports Utility Vehicle Tax, Internet Tax, a return of the Death Tax and even a Garage Sale Tax that would require people to report profits from items sold to neighbors. The Democrats have also introduced a Global Tax, International Tax, Bullet Tax, Bottle Water Tax, Plastic Bag Tax, Toilet Paper Tax, and a Windfall Tax, which place a special tax on all stock market profits, including retirement funds, 401K’s, and mutual funds. This does not include a Mileage Tax to go with the increases taxes placed on gasoline. Then there is the hoax of global warming of Climategate (See: http://globalwarminghoax.wordpress.com/ ) which has been used to scam the American people to push forward the environmentalist liberal agenda as well as more the Cap and Trade Tax and a World Tax the people of America would be required to pay.

The targeted tax provisions under the Bush administration’s Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 will expire on December 31 meaning top-tier personal income tax rate will rise to 39.6% from 35%. Lower-income families will revert back to 28% from 25%. The 28% bracket will increase to 31% and the 33% bracket will increase to 36% while the special 10% bracket is eliminated. (See http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100202/bs_nm/us_budget_backdoortaxes)

Since President Obama and Nancy Pelosi have teamed up, government spending will increase by a trillion dollars over the next decade while they plan to raise taxes on the American people by 1.4 trillion. ( See http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/bg2249.cfm ) They will also add 1.6 trillion to the national debt just in 2010 and on February 4, 2010, congress approved 1.9 trillion of an additional debt ceiling to 14.3 trillion (See http://www.marketwatch.com/story/house-approves-19-trillion-debt-limit-increase-2010-02-04 ) This large expansion of governmental waste has become Democrats spending on steroids. According to the Heritage Foundation, President Obama’s budget would run $7.6 trillion in deficits and more debt than all other Presidents in American history–from George Washington through George W. Bush–combined. As a result of these deficits, net interest spending would reach $840 billion in 2020

America needs to audit itself and the wasteful spending it does. We can not spend our way out of recession or borrow our way out of debt and no country has ever taxed its way into prosperity. We need to cut spending, stop all pork attachments to bills, adopt a Balance Budget Amendment and approve the line item veto to hold every president accountable to those items approved in the budget or bill.

Frank Aquila is a Manteca resident and president of the South San Joaquin Republicans. He can be emailed at mantecarepublicans@yahoo.com

April 4, 2010

The Republican Party has had some great conservative leaders who have formed history in America. From President Abraham Lincoln to Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King to President Ronald Reagan, each believed the conservative principle of individual freedom and individual responsibility.

America is the greatest country in the world. While Republicans and Democrats battle their political platforms of Conservatism and Liberalism for the future direction of America, I have written my own thoughts of America, Conservative style.

No nation can survive without strength and security. Our nation should always have the necessary resources of strength for our military to achieve victory in any battle. Our borders should also be secure to know each individual entering or leaving America.

We must always remember the moral fabric of America that we are a nation “endowed by our creator”. giving each of us rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, where government should be limited and our leaders should be fiscally responsible limiting taxation and government bureaucracy.

President George Washington stated “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly implore His protection and favor” – October 3, 1789.

President Ronald Reagan stated “”If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under.”

We need to keep “under God” in our Pledge of Allegiance, “In God We Trust” on our currency and allow a moment of silence in school, where children can pray silently, if they choose.

The American Flag should be protected with a Constitutional Amendment and English should be the official language of America, where we, from many cultures, must adapt as one into unity, yet still respecting all.

Federal regulations should require each person receiving a driver’s license be a United States citizen and each citizen should be required to use a state license or identification card to vote, preventing voter fraud. Federal funding should be cut off to any sanctuary city who does not allow law enforcement to verify citizenship through valid identification.

Our C.I.A. and F.B.I. should be able to use necessary means, such as surveillance through the Patriot Act to gather important information to assist our military and protect America from potential terrorist attacks.

We should provide opportunities of assistance for those in need without allowing them to become “dependent’ on government assistance; but encouraging “independence” of accomplishment to achieve their dreams, where less government is the best government.

People should have their “own” right to invest in their “own” retirement. Personal health care should be reformed with health savings accounts in the private sector where people can choose their own doctor without interference of government bureaucracy. Foreign governments should be billed for those who are here illegally and the savings provided to our veterans and their family to get the best health treatment available. All veterans should be given job security and tax deductions for housing and college education for their children.Those who served their country and their family should be given highest priority as each veteran and their family sacrificed themselves for America. America needs to sacrifice herself for our veterans.

Free trade should only occur if it is fair trade, where every effort should be made to keep business and jobs in America. Teachers should be paid a professional salary and teach our children reading, writing, and arithmetic; not homosexual propaganda, which has drifted into our grade school curriculum.

Parents should have notification of all medical procedures on their children, including parental notification of an abortion. Abortions should be a last resort as a mother’s personal choice in health problems or rape; but not used as a form of birth control.

We are a nation that is “by the people” and “for the people” where our govenment leaders are representatives “of the people”.

” A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left.” ~ Eccelesiastes 10:2

Frank Aquila is a Manteca resident and president of the South San Joaquin Repubicans. He can be emailed at mantecarepublicans@yahoo.com